INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Kanaan finally broke through to win his first Indianapolis 500, winning under caution.

Kanaan, who has become an Indianapolis favorite, ended years of frustration at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

Kanaan, who thanked his crew over and over as he crossed the finish line, said before the race, "it was win or else."

Two late cautions helped Kanaan achieve victory.

Graham Rahal crashed with seven laps remaining in the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Rahal, the son of 1986 champion Bobby Rahal was looking for his first Indianapolis 500 win. The Rahals were hoping to join Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. as the only father-son duo to win the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing."

The northern California native, who walked away from the car under his own power, said he might have been slightly off line.

"I got a little loose in the middle of the corner," Hildebrand said to television reporters after being checked and released from the infield care center. "I'm incredibly disappointed. I thought we had a car to run up front."

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Takuma Sato spun on the exit of Turn 2 on the 57th lap, but recovered without hitting anything and continued on the lead lap.

It wasn't the first Indy spin for Sato, who was running among the top 10 a few laps before the spin. Last year, he was challenging Dario Franchitti for the lead when he spun and crashed on the final lap.

Franchitti went on to win, while Sato finished 17th. Sunday's spin dropped him to 24th.

Carpenter was swerving back and forth to keep his tires clean and warm when he suddenly dipped onto the infield grass in Turn 3 on the 39th lap. He recovered and retained the lead, telling his crew by radio that he nearly lost control while scrubbing his tires.

Shortly before that, a crash cost Sebastian Saavedra. Saavedra crashed in Turn 2 on the 36th lap, blaming Pippa Mann for forcing him too low. He was not injured.

Jakes was later assessed a penalty on Lap 95 for an undisclosed pit safety violation.

Each was fined $10,000 for the earlier violations, track officials reported, although the specific nature of those violations was not disclosed. The violations came during pit stops after Sebastian Saavedra crashed on Lap 35.

Officials said the drivers violated Rule 7.1.3.2.6, which reads, "The pit lane will start and end at points designated by Officials. The pit entrance and pit lane exit lanes are considered part of the Track. Drivers exiting the pit lane shall rejoin the pack relative to the position they are to the Safety Car and/or Cars on Track as they cross the blend out line. Taking improper position upon leaving the pit lane or failure of a Driver and/or Entrant to follow the direction of Officials may result in a minimum one-lap penalty. The Official's determination of the order is not subject to protest or appeal."

It was the fourth $10,000 fine for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in four days. After last week's qualifying sessions, the team was fined $10,000 each for two infractions in attempts to keep cars cool in the pits.

The team was assessed $10,000 for Graham Rahal's car and another $10,000 for Michael Jourdain Jr., who failed to qualify for the race.

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Coined "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500 has been held annually every year since 1911 except for 1917-18 (World War I) and 1942-45 (World War II).
Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports

Thirty-three cars driven to victory in the Indianapolis 500 form the staring grid on the main straight during a photo shoot for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Oct. 12, 2010. The front row, from right to left, included the 1911 Marmon "Wasp, driven by Ray Harroun, the 2010 car driven by Dario Franchitti, and the 1961 roadster driven by A.J. Foyt for his first of four Indianapolis 500 wins.
Michael Conroy, AP

Drivers speed into the first turn on the Brickyard during the first Indianapolis 500 on May 30, 1911. The drivers, from left, are Will Jones (9) driving a Case; Joe Jagersberger (8) in a Case; and Louis Disbrow (5) in a Pope-Hartford.
AP

With a crippled engine, Ralph DePalma crosses the finish line to win the 1915 Indy 500 as the checkered flag waves. Another engine failure had stopped him near the end of the 1912 race when DePalma led by at least 10 miles.
AP

After earning his first Indy 500 win in 1941, Mauri Rose won the 1947 race in this Blue Crown Spark Plug Special with an average speed of 116.338 miles per hour. Rose followed his 1947 victory with another win in 1948.
AP

Tragedy struck two-time winner Bill Vukovich, who burned to death in a five car pile-up in the 1955 race. Vukovich, shown here with an unidentified man, was aiming for this third consecutive win after driving to victory in 1953-54.
AP

Rodger Ward, holding the family dog, gets a kiss from his wife in victory lane after winning the 1959 race. Ward, who set a new Indy 500 record with an average speed of 135.857 in his Leader Card 500 Roadster, also holds a bottle of milk, a tradition for Indy winners since 1933.
AP

Smoke boils up from burning cars after a fatal pileup at the north end of the main stretch during the 1964 race. On Lap 1, Dave MacDonald skidded into the northwest inside retaining wall and Eddie Sachs crashed into him as both cars exploded. Sachs was killed on the track and MacDonald later died as well. The race was stopped for 1 hour and 42 minutes as other drivers were injured and burned.
The Indianapolis Star

Defending champion Parnelli Jones dives sideways out of his flaming car when it caught fire in the pits, eliminating him from the 1964 race. Jones, who won in 1963, was hospitalized with burns but was not seriously hurt.
AP

Scotland's Jackie Stewart (43) passes his countryman Jimmy Clark (19) and temporarily takes the lead during the 1966 race. However, with only eight laps to go, Stewart dropped out of the race with car trouble.
AP

Bobby Unser celebrates after winning the 1968 Indianapolis 500. Unser won the Indy 500 in three different decades, also scoring wins in 1975, and '81. Bobby was the first of three Unsers to win at the Brickyard.
AP

Mario Andretti (1) leads the field at the start of the 1967 race. Andretti would go on to win the Indy 500 in 1969 and was the patriarch of the Andretti IndyCar dynasty with sons Michael and Jeff, nephew John and grandson Marco.
AP

Al Unser , younger brother of Bobby, salutes the crowd as he takes the checkered flag in his Johnny Lightning Special to win the 1971. Unser would join Foyt as a four-time winner, with victories in 1970, '71, '78 and '87.
AP

The race car of three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford disintegrates as it flies along the wall on turn 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1990. Rutherford suffered a concussion in the incident.
Steve Weaver, AP

Emerson Fittipaldi's crew members jump from the pit wall after Fittipaldi drove to victory in the 1993 Indianapolis 500. The former Formula One champion won his first Indy 500 in 1989.
Tom Strickland, AP

Al Unser Jr., right, celebrates with car owner Roger Penske after winning the 1994 race. Two years earlier, Unser Jr. became the third member of the Unser family to capture an Indy 500 title.
Al Behrman, AP

Tony Stewart leads the field during the restart of the 1997 Indy 500. The race was resumed on lap 16 after two days of rain allowed only 15 laps to be completed on Memorial Day. Arie Luyendyk is running second.
Tom Strattman, AP

Stan Fox, his legs exposed, sits in his airborne car after the front end was torn off while slamming into the first turn wall on the opening lap of the 1995 Indianapolis 500. Fox's legs were uninjured, but he was hospitalized with serious head injuries.
Martin Seppala, AP

Helio Castroneves climbs the front stretch of fence with his teammates after winning the 2009 Indianapolis 500. Castroneves, a three-time winner, also won back-to-back races in 2001-02.
Robert Laberge, Getty Images

Mike Conway's car goes airborne and crashes into a wall between the third and fourth turn in the last lap of the 2010 Indianapolis 500. The English driver sustained leg, ankle, foot and back injuries.
Kerry Keating, The Indianapolis Star

The gold centennial brick stands on the row of bricks at the start-finish line as Scott Dixon passes by on pit lane during practice for the 2011 race. Dixon won the Indy 500 in 2008.
Greg Griffo, The Indianapolis Star

Dan Wheldon dumps the traditional bottle of milk over his head after winning his second Indianapolis 500 in 2011. Wheldon, who won his first Indy 500 in 2005, died after a crash in the 2011 IndyCar season finale in Las Vegas.
Darron Cummings, AP